I took my bicycle to the local Shell station and inflated the tires, it hadn't been used since last Fall. I arrived at Boundary Bay at 104 St, parked and loaded my gear onto my bike. I met a fellow birder in the parking lot, but he was walking so we went our separate ways.
I headed west from 104 St and encountered a small group of shorebirds about halfway to 96 St.
I noticed a bird similar to a Killdeer in the flock and identified it as a Semipalmated Plover. These birds are closely related to Killdeer, but only have one neck stripe instead of two. They are also much more placid birds. Killdeer tend to be very energetic and fake injuries to draw you away from nesting locations. The Plover tended to ignore observers.
Semipalmated Plover - 104 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC
There was also a small group of Western Sandpipers mixed in with the Plovers. There are the most common shorebird seen on Boundary Bay during migration. A good percentage of the global population moves through Boundary Bay in spring and fall migrations.
Western Sandpiper - 104 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC
I ran into the other birder again and discovered he was from Chilliwack and a member of the Knopp family. He knew both my sisters and I knew his brothers and sister. Small world.
We spent a good deal of time scoping the shorebirds but the only other distinct species I saw and photographed on this day was this Dunlin shown below. These are a mid-sized shorebird that winters at Boundary Bay. The photo below shows one in breeding plumage with the Rufous sides and the black spot on the breast. It also highlights the size difference with the smaller Western Sandpiper.
Dunlin - 112 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC
I did see some Black-bellied Plovers through my scope, but I'll save them for my next post where I took some decent photos of this common species.
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